Living Generously: Lessons from the Early Church
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Sermon Summary
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Their first instinct was not to try to figure out what God was up to, instead, they focused on what they should be up to, in light of, and in response to what was going on. Specifically, they asked what they should do to help the people most impacted by the disaster. [00:01:45]
They began collecting funds for people they had never met, in a part of the world that most of them would never visit, whose culture was nothing like theirs. And never before in recorded history had a local multicultural group felt responsible and responsibility for a group of people with whom they virtually had nothing in common. [00:02:20]
Their hope was anchored to an event, the resurrection of Jesus. And, as an eye witness of both Jesus' crucifixion and his resurrection, Peter's words carried weight. They carried weight then, and they carried weight today. So, natural disaster, political upheaval, religious persecution, it was just another day in not paradise. [00:04:14]
He assured them that their suffering was not God's judgment on them, they hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, on the contrary, he said, "You're suffering, your suffering and your response to suffering, is a tool that God is gonna use to draw attention to himself." [00:12:31]
Peter says, "While you're suffering, while you're navigating the complexities of what's happening around you, love each other deeply." Unwaveringly, earnestly. Why Peter? Well, I mean, what does that have to do with suffering? What does that have to do with what we're going through? "I'll tell you," Peter says, "because love, this unique kind of one another love, this deep love actually covers over a multitude of sins." [00:16:57]
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, to serve others as faithful stewards." That is, you have gifts that are on loan from God. "As faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." [00:18:00]
They had literally lost their fear of death. And when they stayed, they cared for one another, and as a result, the Christian communities fared far better than their pagan neighbors, but these brave Christians took things an unprecedented step further. They took what Peter said about hospitality to a level that no one expected, they cared for their pagan neighbors whose families had abandoned them. [00:23:19]
These men and women, these brave early Christians, did not die for what they believed, they died because they acted on what they believed. It's a reminder, as Jesus taught so often, that application, application is what makes the difference. Application, application is what gets noticed. That's why it's not enough for us to believe correctly, we must act on what we say we believe. [00:25:56]
The selfless behavior of Christians became impossible to ignore. The pagan world took note. Christians showcased a category of compassion and generosity that got the attention of those in need, and eventually grabbed the attention of those who had gotten tired and grown tired of a culture characterized by greed. [00:27:41]
In the darkness, the uncertainty, that's when our light matters most, that's when our light shines the brightest. Why? Because it stands in contrast to everything around it. So church, let's not withdraw, let's look for ways to shine even brighter. To give more, to serve more, to love more. [00:32:47]
If we, the church, get this right, people may always roll their eyes at what we believe, the resurrection of a first century rabbi, really? But they should be envious of how well we treat each other, and they should be amazed at how well we treat them. According to Jesus, it is by that unique, selfless expression of love, and by that alone, that people will know that we are in fact his followers, his disciples. [00:33:06]
And in that way, we, like our first century brothers and sisters, will have allowed our light to shine in such a way that people notice, and look up, and perhaps, come face to face with our Father, their Father in heaven. [00:33:48]
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They began collecting funds for people they had never met, in a part of the world that most of them would never visit, whose culture was nothing like theirs. And never before in recorded history had a local multicultural group felt responsible and responsibility for a group of people with whom they virtually had nothing in common. [00:02:20]
Their hope was anchored to an event, the resurrection of Jesus. And, as an eye witness of both Jesus' crucifixion and his resurrection, Peter's words carried weight. They carried weight then, and they carried weight today. So, natural disaster, political upheaval, religious persecution, it was just another day in not paradise. [00:04:14]
He assured them that their suffering was not God's judgment on them, they hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, on the contrary, he said, "You're suffering, your suffering and your response to suffering, is a tool that God is gonna use to draw attention to himself." [00:12:31]
Peter says, "While you're suffering, while you're navigating the complexities of what's happening around you, love each other deeply." Unwaveringly, earnestly. Why Peter? Well, I mean, what does that have to do with suffering? What does that have to do with what we're going through? "I'll tell you," Peter says, "because love, this unique kind of one another love, this deep love actually covers over a multitude of sins." [00:16:57]
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, to serve others as faithful stewards." That is, you have gifts that are on loan from God. "As faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." [00:18:00]
They had literally lost their fear of death. And when they stayed, they cared for one another, and as a result, the Christian communities fared far better than their pagan neighbors, but these brave Christians took things an unprecedented step further. They took what Peter said about hospitality to a level that no one expected, they cared for their pagan neighbors whose families had abandoned them. [00:23:19]
These men and women, these brave early Christians, did not die for what they believed, they died because they acted on what they believed. It's a reminder, as Jesus taught so often, that application, application is what makes the difference. Application, application is what gets noticed. That's why it's not enough for us to believe correctly, we must act on what we say we believe. [00:25:56]
The selfless behavior of Christians became impossible to ignore. The pagan world took note. Christians showcased a category of compassion and generosity that got the attention of those in need, and eventually grabbed the attention of those who had gotten tired and grown tired of a culture characterized by greed. [00:27:41]
In the darkness, the uncertainty, that's when our light matters most, that's when our light shines the brightest. Why? Because it stands in contrast to everything around it. So church, let's not withdraw, let's look for ways to shine even brighter. To give more, to serve more, to love more. [00:32:47]
If we, the church, get this right, people may always roll their eyes at what we believe, the resurrection of a first century rabbi, really? But they should be envious of how well we treat each other, and they should be amazed at how well we treat them. According to Jesus, it is by that unique, selfless expression of love, and by that alone, that people will know that we are in fact his followers, his disciples. [00:33:06]
And in that way, we, like our first century brothers and sisters, will have allowed our light to shine in such a way that people notice, and look up, and perhaps, come face to face with our Father, their Father in heaven. [00:33:48]
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